wfn.org | WCC NEWS: After communal violence, Indian Christians draw hope from elections

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World Council of Churches - News Release

Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org

>For immediate release - 18/05/2009 13:46:29

AFTER COMMUNAL VIOLENCE, INDIAN CHRISTIANS DRAW HOPE FROM ELECTIONS

According to an Indian church worker, the violence against Christians in  the Indian state of Orissa last year was not a one-time event but the  consequence of a fragmented society. However, the results of the recent  general elections are heartening.

The wave of violence that started after the killing of a prominent radical  Hindu leader in August 2008 - a murder that was claimed by Maoist rebels,  but blamed on Christians by Hindu militants - reflects how Indian society  is being fragmented along communal lines, said John Suresh Kumar, of the  Church of North India Synodical Board of Social Services, speaking at the  headquarters of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva, on 13 May.

Kumar explained that Hindu extremists had succeeded in pitching "tribal  communities in Kandhamal, Orissa, who continue to live in abject poverty"  against Dalit Christians. These are slightly better off in terms of their  economic status than tribals in this area.

Dalits make up the majority of Christians in most parts of India. In the  Indian caste system, Dalits have been treated as "untouchable" due to  Brahmanic ritual traditions that considered them "unclean".

Kumar, who had recently visited the affected Kandhamal district, said that  nine months after the communal violence began, thousands of people who had  to flee from their homes were still living in camps, lacking access to  water and sanitation.

While providing relief to the displaced is an immediate need, churches  should not stop there, Kumar said, since aid and rehabilitation can only  be sustainable if security is re-established.

According to Kumar, the Orissa state government was indirectly complicit  in the violence "or at least it has failed to punish the rioters".  "Therefore it is important that churches speak out with a united voice at  the national and international level" Kumar added.

He stressed the importance of outreach to tribal communities, making sure  that not only the Christian victims of violence benefit from church aid  efforts such as housing projects, so that divisions are not worsened.  "Development action should be cutting across communal and faith boundaries. "

>Elections bring new hope

Kumar addressed staff from the WCC and other Geneva-based ecumenical  organizations just as India completed its federal elections. The outcome  of India's general elections will be crucial in securing peace and  security in Orissa, he pointed out. Citizens in Orissa also elected a new  state administration. It replaces a coalition that included a rightwing  Hindu fundamentalist party.

As early results of the elections indicate a clear win of the outgoing  secular federal government coalition over the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya  Janata Party (BJP), the general secretary of the National Council of  Churches in India (NCCI), Bishop Dr Dhirendra Kumar Sahu, told the news  website Christian Today ( http://www.christiantoday.com/article/indian.chri stians.celebrate.early.election.results/23371.htm )he was greatly elated  by this outcome.

"The BJP has been completely wiped out of Orissa," he said, adding that  "Christians in Kandhamal are jubilant and there is still a sign of hope  for them."
On a more sober note, John Suresh Kumar warns: "It is important not to  underestimate the strength of the right wing forces on the basis of the  election results alone. They may strike again with more virulence in the  future."

The WCC has repeatedly condemned the violence against Christians in  Orissa, including at a meeting of WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel  Kobia with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in October 2008.

>WCC member churches in India:
>http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=4670

>Relief appeal by ACT International:
>http://www.act-intl.org/appeals.php?uid=94

>WCC work in solidarity with Dalits:
>http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3249

>WCC executive committee statement:
>http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=6315

Press release: "Christianity is part of our national heritage" Indian  prime minister tells Kobia
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1724/quotchr istianity-is-par.html

Additional information:Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363media@wcc -coe.org

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness  and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of  churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant,  Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million  Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman  Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from  the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.